I was watching a replay of wannabe John Green's rant from the sheriff's candidate forum in February about the "cowards" who hide in the dark "spreading hate & dissension" online, when the thought hit me: Bob Foster was wise to file as an Independent. Foster? He's the Coeur d'Alene code enforcement officer who took part in the Republican forum with Green & three others. And then decided to run as an Independent. Foster has the schooling and law enforcement background to be a good sheriff. But he would have been lost in the crowd of candidates in the Kootenai County GOPrimary race. Green has the backing of the Tea Party/United Conservatives crowd. Keith Hutcheson has the backing of the Reagan Republicans. And Ben Wolfinger has the backing of mainstream/chamber Republicans. Foster would likely have finished fourth in that race. However, as an Independent, he has 6 more months to make himself known to the public. Should he be an Independent facing Green (and that could happen depending on the primary split), he can bank on support from Republicans who individuals who backed Wolfinger & Hutcheson, as well as Independents & Democrats shut out by the Republicans closed primary. Of course, two other men have filed as Independents -- Tom Dickson, a former sheriff's captain, and Joe Bodman, the former Post Falls councilman. No matter how the race plays out, Foster has improved his chances -- DFO.

Question: Who do you think will win the sheriff's race?